Unfortunately, some ideas gain their influence undeservedly. "The Investment Principle: Our oldest ideas have unfair advantages over those that come later. The earlier we learn a skill, the more methods we can acquire for using it. Each new idea mus then compete against the large mass of skills the old ideas have accumulated." In other words, it is easier to do new things in old ways. In the short-term, this is OK.
"I don't mean to say there's anything wrong, in principle, with using what you are comfortable with and already know. But it is dangerous to support your old ideas merely bu accumulating ways to sidestep their deficiencies."
(NB: For an alternative slant on this, where even short-term effects can be negative, take a look at the functional fixedness literature in problem-solving.)
Pearl Street | Society Of Mind Home Page | Dawson Home Page |